Sky News reporter Ashish Joshi's 'photo-bombing video' goes viral

Award-winning journalist Ashish Joshi made headlines of his own when the Sky News reporter was apparently photo-bombed during a 'live broadcast'.

A video clip, in which Joshi is seen recording a live link on Westminster Green, while a 'shrinking man' magic trick was being performed behind him, was viewed more than 180,000 times on YouTube after going viral on social media.

While Joshi is seen standing outside parliament discussing the very serious matter of David Cameron's NHS reforms, two magicians are seen rolling their equipment into the background as they prepare to stage a magic trick. Halfway through the report, the frame is cropped, adding to the notion that Joshi was unwittingly being photo-bombed live on air.

And while it was originally thought the handsome TV reporter was being pranked, in fact, it later emerged that Joshi was in on the joke, that brightened up an otherwise grim news day.

Speaking to The Guardian, Joshi explained that the stunt was intended to help generate publicity for magic act Young and Strange, in the hope it can help them land a TV show. "They're friends of mine. I was happy to help," he said.

While Sky News confirmed in a tweet that the video was not part of a live broadcast, Joshi revealed that everyone saw the funny side. "Sky has been brilliant. Everyone's laughing," he said.

Illusionists, Young and Strange from Oxfordshire said they were overwhelmed with the response to the hoax video.

"We thought it might get a few hundred views! Videobomb videos are boring, everyone just makes faces or waves to their mum, we wanted to try and take it up a level."

Strange said: "It was surprisingly easy to make it happen and performing in the background of a news report is easy to do."

And while Joshi is already established as a highly respected news journalist, his Oscar worthy performance heralds the beginnings of a second career in the movies.

@ashishskynews you did a brilliant job on the photobomb video. On a miserable wet day it certainly seemed to bring a smile to a few faces